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Ukorebi Esien | September 11, 2026
ABUJA — Dr Betta Edu, is set to mark her 40th birthday with an ambitious humanitarian initiative targeted at thousands of Nigerians.
Edu, who will clock 40 on October 27, 2026, has announced plans to use the milestone to support families, businesses, students and vulnerable Nigerians, with a target of reaching 120,000 people.
In a series of messages shared on her WhatsApp status, the former minister said the birthday activities would include empowering 40 homes and 40 families, supporting 40 businesses, feeding 40,000 people and providing educational scholarships, with an eventual target of 40,000 beneficiaries.
She also indicated plans to take part of the celebration to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, describing the initiative as an opportunity to celebrate with “the people who need us the most.”
“45 days to the big one, 40 homes, 40 families, 40 businesses empowered, 40,000 people fed,” Edu stated.
In another message, she said: “We will party with the people who need us the most, the people in the IDP camp. It’s the big one, 40,000 lives about to be changed forever. For the love of a nation.”
Edu also announced an educational component of the initiative, saying her target was to reach 40,000 scholarship beneficiaries.
“This big 40, we will 40,000 educational scholarships. We will hit the 40,000 mark by God’s grace,” she stated.
The planned intervention comes as Edu prepares to return to the national political space following her recent appointment as Director of Women Mobilisation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign council.
Edu, a medical doctor and public health specialist from Cross River State, has had a rapid rise through the state and national political and public service structures.
She began her political and public service career in Cross River State, where she was appointed Special Adviser on Community and Primary Healthcare in 2015. She subsequently served as Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and later as Commissioner for Health. She also chaired the state's COVID-19 Task Force during the pandemic and became National Chairman of the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum.
In March 2022, Edu became National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), emerging as the youngest person to occupy the position at the time. She later resigned from the position following her nomination and appointment as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in August 2023.
Her latest appointment as Director of Women Mobilisation for the 2027 campaign marks her return to a prominent role in the ruling party's national political mobilisation structure.
As she approaches the milestone, Edu's proposed 40th birthday programme appears designed to combine celebration with humanitarian outreach, particularly to vulnerable people and communities.
With the initiative built around the number 40, the former minister is expected to spend the coming weeks working towards the various targets she has announced, including feeding, household and business empowerment, and educational support.
The initiative, if implemented at the scale announced, would make Edu's 40th birthday celebration less about personal festivities and more about extending support to vulnerable Nigerians.
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